Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Probably a good rule to ask who’s ringing the doorbell,” Drew says as he steps inside. His eyes immediately find mine, so blue and vibrant and full of hunger. They move up and down my whole body, as if he’s soaking me in. “You look great.”
“Dude, she’s in her sweats.” But Caleb hops on the balls of his feet. “Come on! We have to start the movie.”
“I have some things here for you guys,” Drew says as he follows us down the hall. “First, flowers for a beautiful woman.”
“Barf,” Caleb mutters, but I can see the happy smile on his adorable face as I bury my nose in a bloom and fuss a little.
“And a little something for the man of the house,” Drew says as he passes a wrapped package to my boy.
“It’s not even my birthday,” Caleb says as he rips the paper. “Whoa, Minecraft Legos! Oh, man, there are so many pieces. I won’t be able to do this by myself.”
“I’ll help you,” Drew offers with a shrug, as if it’s no big deal and he offers to help kids put Legos together every day of the week. “Want to get started on it now? While we watch the movie? If it’s okay with your mom, that is.”
Caleb turns hopeful eyes to me. “Please?”
“Fine with me.”
“Yeah! I’ll go get the platform.”
Caleb races out of the room, and Drew looks at me in surprise. “Platform?”
“He has a special board that he puts his Legos on so he can carry them throughout the house and work on a project without being stuck in his room. My kid is social.”
“Smart.” He moves in closer, sliding his hand over my hip. “I missed the hell out of you. Being away that long is too long.”
“I missed you, too,” I admit and reach up to cup his cheek. It seems to be my signature move with this man. I love the way his slightly scruffy skin feels against my palm. “Your boss is a tyrant for making you stay away for so long.”
His lips twitch with humor. “I’ll tell her you said that.”
“Did you have a good trip?”
“A successful one,” he says, his eyes intensely glued to my lips. “How was your week?”
“Long.”
Satisfaction shoots into those blue eyes, but before he can kiss me, Caleb comes running back, holding his Lego board high in the air, over his head.
“I have it!”
He zooms past us, headed straight for the big square ottoman in front of the couch so he and Drew can sit on the floor while they build.
“Want to join us?” Drew asks, but I shake my head and press play on the movie already pulled up on the massive wall TV.
Sure, I could join them, and likely have fun, but I kind of want to sit back and watch them work together. Do they aggravate each other? Do they really get along well when it’s just the two of them and I’m not directing a conversation?
The reality is, if Drew and I continue to see each other on a personal level, my son is in the equation. Because I spend as much time with Caleb as possible, I won’t give up time with him to accommodate Drew or any man.
Before long, I’m pretty much watching the movie by myself as the guys build their work of art. They giggle and tease each other. Once, when Caleb realizes that he made something wrong, he gets frustrated with himself.
But Drew calmly explains that it was an easy mistake to make and helps Caleb correct it.
All in all, I don’t think it could have gone any better.
When the credits roll, Caleb looks up at me with pleading eyes. “Please, can I stay up longer to keep working on this?”
“Sorry, buddy, but you have school tomorrow. No can do. Go put your pajamas on and brush your teeth. I’ll be up in a few.”
Caleb sighs. “Okay.”
“Hey, whenever you want to work on this, just have your mom call me. If I’m not working, I’ll come help.”
That cheers Caleb up. “Okay, cool. Thanks, Drew.”
Now he runs out of the room, and I can hear his feet, which aren’t all that tiny anymore, stomp on the stairs up to the second floor.
“You were really great with him this evening.” I smile at Drew as he boosts himself up on the couch and takes one of my bare feet in his hands to massage it.
“Caleb is a great kid. It’s not hard to hang out with him at all. Besides, Legos are the best. I think my mom still has some of my old sets in her attic.”
“Would you say that if Caleb was a brat?”
“No. If he was a brat, I wouldn’t be here. But I don’t think you’d put up with a disrespectful child for long.”
“He’s a normal kid,” I reply with a sigh and close my eyes when his thumb digs into the arch of my foot. “He pushes buttons, and if he’s hungry or tired, he can be a handful. But no, on the whole, I don’t tolerate my son being a jerk to anyone.”